


Colder Without You

by ManiasNotebook



Series: 12 Days of Fictmas 2020 [9]
Category: League of Legends
Genre: F/M, Huddling For Warmth, M/M, Mutual Pining, Reader-Insert, gender neutral reader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-16 03:36:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29943894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ManiasNotebook/pseuds/ManiasNotebook
Summary: You’ve always had each other.
Relationships: Ezreal (League of Legends)/Reader
Series: 12 Days of Fictmas 2020 [9]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2202048
Kudos: 6





	Colder Without You

The Freljord is cold, but that doesn’t surprise you. Neither does the coldness of the cave.

“Here,” Ezreal grunts as he drops a load of logs and sticks in front of you. You look up from the fire you’re kindling and offer him a smile of appreciation before turning your head back. “It’s all I was able to find close to the entrance.”

You nod your head, reaching a hand out for a log. Ezreal kicks over to you, the wood scraping against stone flooring, but ultimately making it into your grasp. Your fist closes over as much of it as you could, the log being a little too big for your hand to close over completely, and toss it into the small fire pit you’ve set up. Some of the fire grabs at the wood, covering small bits and pieces until it’s actually embraced by the destructive force. 

It’s hard to forget where you are and what you’re doing when you’re stuck in a situation like this. To put it simply, Ezreal was chasing something- an artifact that was rumored to be located in the snowy mountains of Freljord. This time, he knew he couldn’t make it into a solo expedition. There were too many variations and risks that he knew he couldn’t face alone. Queue Ezreal popping the big question. 

_“Do you want to join me on an adventure?”_

You had known the blonde all your life, and the two of you trusted each other with your very own lives. Growing up in Piltover together, you were the only one who could constantly keep up with his wealth of knowledge, insatiable curiosity, and a knack for trouble. For the longest time, the two of you were inseparable. But as Ezreal’s studies increased as a young boy, the two of you eventually had to start seeing less and less of each other. However, the bond you two had remained steadfast and true over the years as you watched him grow into the famed explorer he is today. 

That’s why he knew- he couldn’t trust anyone… _he could trust you._

Unfortunately for the two of you, that meant being stuck in a cave in the mountain as a blizzard raged outside. The cave is freezing, and your fur coats can only do but so much to protect yourselves against the elements. It’s just you, Ezreal, the fire pit you’re squatting over, your supplies, and nothing but stone until the stone dies down. However long it’ll take.

Watching the fire welcome its new fuel, you turn your head over to Ezreal’s form as he stood off to the side with his arms crossed. He’s staring into the pit silently, an intense look on his face. He’s still shaking a little bit from gathering more kindling where he could outside, but he seems to be mostly fine. You can’t help but feel a little worried as he remains deep in thought, the scowl on his face growing and growing as more time passes. You wonder what’s on his mind. The adventure? The artifact? The storm? Piltover? His parents? You?

A minute passes before you’ve finally had enough.

“Hey, Ez?” You call out to him quietly. Your voice has a slight echo to it as the sound bounces off the cave walls but it catches his attention nonetheless. The scowl drops from his face as he looks over at you. In its place, it’s a curious expression that melts into a small smile when you quietly pat the spot right next to you. 

He’s immediately strutting over to you. He plops down onto your side, sitting crossed legged and throwing an arm over your shoulder that nearly knocks you off your feet. You’re forced to reposition yourself- from squatting to having your body shift all onto the side of one knee as Ezreal pulls you into his body. 

He’s not as cold as you thought he would be, you noticed as he takes your makeshift fire poker from your hand and takes over for you. His body heat is a welcomed change that you more than appreciate. You’d take it over violently shivering any day, you decided while making yourself more comfortable in his embrace. You’re leaning almost entirely into him now as you rest your head on his shoulder, but he doesn’t seem to mind. In fact, you’d say he enjoys it judging from the small squeeze he gave your shoulder. 

The two of you spend the next couple of minutes looking into the fire. Ezreal tends to it whenever he needs to, and you’d watch as the flames drew shadows on the walls. The cave was silent save for the crackling of the fire and the howling of the wind. It’s quiet, peaceful, and sort of relaxing.

“Thank you…” You can barely hear his mumble, but you turn your eyes to look up at him nonetheless. He’s still peering into the fire, stabbing at it when he utters the words. While it technically breaks the silences, the peaceful atmosphere is there to stay. “Thank you… being here with me… and… for always being there for me…”

He’s trailing off as he speaks quietly to you, and you can catch the sudden shyness as he refuses to look down at you. He’s pretty like this, you decide. You’ve always known he was handsome when he’s confident… but there’s a certain beauty in his vulnerability too. It’s endearing and utterly adorable as he seems embarrassed to let his true feeling go. You had half a mind to tease the normally ever-so-cocky explorer but decided to have mercy on the poor boy this time. 

“You’re welcome…” You hum, blinking slowly and sleepily. You’re grateful for him too, of course. But all this sitting around with your new personal heater is making you feel a little too comfortable for being trapped in a cave in the middle of a blizzard. 

Suddenly, there’s a hand on your cheek. Your eyes catch Ezreal’s smiling face as he looks down at you. In his gaze, the two of you are stuck staring into each other’s eyes as the world seems to freeze around you. His hand is stroking small circles into your cheek. His touch is gentle with such care that you can’t recall seeing from your shared childhood.

“You know…” He mumbles, words followed by a deep exhale, bright blue eyes filled with a honey-warmth. 

He takes a second to finish his thought. A gulp of nervousness. An anxious sigh. A brief turn of the head only for it to come back to you. But you wait. You patiently wait for him to say his next words. Just as you waited all those times for him to come back to you. And just like when he finally returns… his words are worth every second that passed by in anticipation:

_“…this cave would be a lot colder without you…”_


End file.
